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  Descriptive Analysis of Sexual Assault Incidents Reported to Alaska State Troopers: 2003-2004

  Greg Postle, André B. Rosay, Darryl S. Wood, and Katherine TePas

  This study examines the characteristics of sexual assault and sexual abuse of minor incidents reported to the Alaska State Troopers (AST), providing the first statewide overview of such cases. The sample utilized for the analysis included all sexual assault and sexual abuse of minor incidents reported from January 1, 2003 to December 31, 2004 and includes information from 989 reports, 1,903 charges, 1,050 suspects, 1,082 victims, and 771 witnesses. The descriptive analysis documents the characteristics of these reports, suspects, victims, incidents, and witnesses, and examines three legal resolutions: whether cases were referred for prosecution, whether cases were accepted for prosecution, and whether cases resulted in a conviction.

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  Descriptive Analysis of Sexual Assault Nurse Examinations in Fairbanks: 2005-2006

  André B. Rosay, Tara Henry, N/A Fairbanks Memorial Hospital, and N/A The Alaska Department of Law

  This project examined the characteristics of 144 sexual assault victimizations recorded by sexual assault nurse examiners in Fairbanks, Alaska in 2005 and 2006. The report documents the demographic characteristics of patients, pre-assault characteristics, assault characteristics, post-assault characteristics, exam characteristics and findings, suspect characteristics, and legal resolutions.

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  Reporting Sexual Assault Victimizations to Law Enforcement

  André B. Rosay, Tara Henry, N/A Providence Kodiak Island Medical Center, N/A Yukon-Kuskokwim Health Corporation, N/A Central Peninsula General Hospital, N/A Norton Sound Health Corporation, N/A Fairbanks Memorial Hospital, and N/A Maniilaq Association

  As part of a larger study examining the characteristics of sexual assault victimizations in Alaska as observed and recorded by sexual assault nurse examiners, 101 patients in Bethel, Fairbanks, Kodiak, Kotzebue, Nome, and Soldotna provided information about their decision to report their victimization to law enforcement. The report documents who these patients consulted prior to reporting, the actions and reactions that patients received from others, how patients initially attributed blame, and how concerned patients initially were about disbelief and negative reactions from others. The report also examines whether patients had begun to take control over the recovery process, the amount of time elapsed from assault to examination, and what factors predict the amount of time elapsed from assault to examination.

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  Descriptive Analysis of Sexual Assault Nurse Examinations in Alaska

  André B. Rosay, Tara Henry, N/A The Department of Health and Human Services (Municipality of Anchorage), N/A Providence Kodiak Island Medical Center, N/A Yukon-Kuskokwim Health Corporation, N/A Central Peninsula General Hospital, N/A Norton Sound Health Corporation, N/A Fairbanks Memorial Hospital, N/A South Peninsula Hospital, N/A Maniilaq Association, and N/A The Alaska Department of Law

  This project examined the characteristics of 1,699 sexual assault victimizations recorded by sexual assault nurse examiners — all those conducted in Anchorage, Alaska from 1996 to 2004, in Bethel and Fairbanks in 2005 and 2006, and in Homer, Kodiak, Kotzebue, Nome, and Soldotna in 2005. The report documents the demographic characteristics of patients, pre-assault characteristics, assault characteristics, post-assault characteristics, exam characteristics and findings, suspect characteristics, and legal resolutions.

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  Descriptive Analysis of Sexual Assault Nurse Examinations in Anchorage: 1996-2004

  André B. Rosay, Tara Henry, N/A The Department of Health and Human Services (Municipality of Anchorage), and N/A The Alaska Department of Law

  This project examined the characteristics of 1,383 sexual assault victimizations recorded by sexual assault nurse examiners in Anchorage, Alaska from 1996 to 2004. The report documents the demographic characteristics of patients, pre-assault characteristics, assault characteristics, post-assault characteristics, exam characteristics and findings, suspect characteristics, and legal resolutions.

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  Descriptive Analysis of Sexual Assault Nurse Examinations in Bethel, Homer, Kodiak, Kotzebue, Nome, and Soldotna

  André B. Rosay, Tara Henry, N/A Yukon-Kuskokwim Health Corporation, N/A South Peninsula Hospital, N/A Providence Kodiak Island Medical Center, N/A Maniilaq Association, N/A Norton Sound Health Corporation, and N/A Central Peninsula General Hospital

  This project examined the characteristics of 172 sexual assault victimizations recorded by sexual assault nurse examiners — all those conducted in Bethel, Alaska in 2005 and 2006, and in Homer, Kodiak, Kotzebue, Nome, and Soldotna in 2005. The report documents the demographic characteristics of patients, pre-assault characteristics, assault characteristics, post-assault characteristics, exam characteristics and findings, suspect characteristics, and legal resolutions.

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  Descriptive Analysis of Sexual Assault Nurse Examinations in Bethel: 2005-2006

  André B. Rosay, Tara Henry, N/A Yukon-Kuskokwim Health Corporation, and N/A The Alaska Department of Law

  This project examined the characteristics of 105 sexual assault victimizations recorded by sexual assault nurse examiners in Bethel, Alaska in 2005 and 2006. The report documents the demographic characteristics of patients, pre-assault characteristics, assault characteristics, post-assault characteristics, exam characteristics and findings, suspect characteristics, and legal resolutions.

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  Descriptive Analysis of Stalking Incidents Reported to Alaska State Troopers: 1994-2005

  André B. Rosay, Darryl S. Wood, Greg Postle, and Katherine TePas

  This project examined the characteristics of stalking incidents reported to the Alaska State Troopers from 1994 to 2005. It included information from 210 reports, 222 charges, 211 suspects, 216 victims, and 246 witnesses. For those stalking incidents reported from 1999 to 2004, the charges, suspects, victims, witnesses, and legal resolutions are documented.

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  Quantitative Analysis of Disparities in Juvenile Delinquency Referrals to the Fairbanks North Star Borough, FY2005-06

  G. Matthew Snodgrass and André B. Rosay

  Minority youths in the Fairbanks North Star Borough are referred to the Alaska Division of Juvenile Justice (DJJ) for delinquent behavior at rates much higher than white youths.This report describes disproportionate minority contact with the Alaska juvenile justice system for youths referred to the Fairbanks office of the Division of Juvenile Justice during fiscal years 2005 and 2006 (July 1, 2004, to June 30, 2006). Possible sources of disproportionate minority contact are subsequently narrowed by examining the impact of race and ethnicity, gender, type of referral, and geography. By developing a detailed understanding of the scope of disproportionate minority contact, we become much better prepared to identify its causes and to develop evidence-based solutions.

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  Intimate Partner Violence Against Ahtna (Alaska Native) Women in the Copper River Basin

  Randy H. Magen and Darryl S. Wood

  This study examined the frequency, severity, and consequences of intimate partner violence against an availability sample of Athabaskan women (n=91) residing in the interior of Alaska. Data about victimization experiences as well as cultural involvement, residential mobility, living arrangements, social cohesion, alcohol use, and post-traumatic stress were gathered through interviews. Slightly less than two-thirds of respondents (63.7%) reported intimate partner violence victimization at some point in their lifetime. Nearly one out of five women surveyed (17.6%) reported that they had been physically assaulted by an intimate partner in the most recent 12 months. Intimate partner victimization was more prevalant and more frequent when compared to what has been reported by the National Violence Against Women Survey.

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  Anchorage Wellness Court: Summary of Facts — 2005 Update

  Alan R. McKelvie

  This brief report presents summary statistics for 2001–2005 for the Anchorage Wellness Court, a therapeutic court for alcoholic misdemeanants which has operated for five years in the Anchorage District Court. Participants enter the 18-month program under a plea agreement that gives them a reduced sentence if they complete the program, which includes specific treatment measures, regular appearances before the Wellness Court judge, monitoring for continued sobriety over an 18-month period, employment and/or school attendance, and other requirements aimed at helping the offender to overcome alcohol addiction and avoid reoffending. As of December 31, 2005, 44 participants had completed the program. Recidivism data indicate a recidivism rate of 25 percent for the 44 program graduates, compared with a average recidivism rate nationally of 65 percent for alcohol-related misdemeanors.

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  Quantitative Analysis of Disparities in Juvenile Delinquency Referrals

  André B. Rosay and Ronald S. Everett

  Minority youths in Anchorage are referred to the Alaska Division of Juvenile Justice (DJJ) for delinquent behavior at rates much higher than white youths. This report, presenting the first findings from an extended examination of extended examination of race, ethnicity, and juvenile justice in Anchorage, provides a broad overview of the level of disproportionate minority contact in the Alaska juvenile justice system and examines whether disproportionate minority contact occurs (1) for all minority youth, (2) for both males and females, (3) for both youth referred for new crimes and youth referred for conduct or probation violations, and (4) throughout the Municipality of Anchorage or in specific geographical areas within the Municipality of Anchorage. By developing a detailed understanding of the scope of disproportionate minority contact, we become much better prepared to identify its causes and to develop promising evidence-based solutions. The sample in this analysis includes 1,936 youths who resided in Anchorage and were referred to DJJ in Anchorage during fiscal year 2005 for new crimes, probation violations, or conduct violations.

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  Descriptive Analysis of Sexual Assaults in Anchorage, Alaska: 2002/2003 Update

  André B. Rosay, Jeannie Sanders, Sandra Smith, Bonnie Caladine, and Donna Monahan

  This brief report updates the previous report Descriptive Analysis of Sexual Assaults in Anchorage to document some of the changes in the nature of sexual assault in Anchorage, Alaska from 2000 to 2003. From 2000 to 2003, the rates of reported sexual assaults in Anchorage continue to be significantly higher than national rates; most victims continued to be female, and almost all suspects male; over half of sexual assaults continued to occur in private residences; and the Spenard and Fairview community council areas continued to experience the highest numbers of sexual assaults in the municipality. However, from 2000 to 2003, some key changes in the nature of sexual assaults were observed. The number of forcible rapes and sexual assaults reported showed a steady increase; sexual assault victimizations increased particularly among Natives and Blacks, among persons younger than 15 years old and those aged 45 to 54 years of age; stranger assaults declined while non-stranger assaults increased; and sexual assaults occurring in the Downtown community council area increased by 144 percent. While this update provides a brief overview of some key changes in the nature of sexual assaults in Anchorage, it does provide enough information to assist in changing policy, and the information presented is now two years old. Ideally, a monitoring program would be developed in Anchorage to provide real-time empirical information about sexual assault and forcible rape to assist in efforts to fight these crimes.

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  Sexual Assault Case Processing: A Descriptive Model of Attrition and Decision Making

  G. Matthew Snodgrass

  The outcomes of sexual assaults involving one suspect and one victim reported to the Anchorage Police Department (APD) in 2000 to 2003 were examined. Overall, 1,235 sexual assaults were reported to APD during this period, of which 1,074 involved one suspect and one victim. Data were collected on 1,052 of these cases to learn how the Alaska Department of Law disposed of these cases. Of the 1,052 cases examined, 188 (17.9%) were referred to the Department of Law, 127 were accepted for prosecution, and 111 resulted in a conviction. Clearly, the point of greatest attrition is from report to referral, with 85.2 percent of reported sexual assaults not being referred for prosecution. However, most offenders whose cases reach prosecutors are held accountable in some degree through the imposition of criminal sanctions.

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  Sexual Assault Case Processing: A Descriptive Model of Attrition and Decision Making

  G. Matthew Snodgrass

  The outcomes of sexual assaults involving one suspect and one victim reported to the Anchorage Police Department (APD) in 2000 to 2003 were examined. Overall, 1,235 sexual assaults were reported to APD during this period, of which 1,074 involved one suspect and one victim. Data were collected on 1,052 of these cases to learn how the Alaska Department of Law disposed of these cases. Of the 1,052 cases examined, 188 (17.9%) were referred to the Department of Law, 127 were accepted for prosecution, and 111 resulted in a conviction. Clearly, the point of greatest attrition is from report to referral, with 85.2 percent of reported sexual assaults not being referred for prosecution. However, most offenders whose cases reach prosecutors are held accountable in some degree through the imposition of criminal sanctions.

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  Alaska Rural Justice Issues: A Selected Bibliography

  University of Alaska Anchorage Justice Center

  This annotated bibliography covers research undertaken in the areas of rural governance, policing, the courts, corrections, juvenile justice, and other areas pertinent to rural Alaska. The volume also includes a monograph discussing rural justice issues as revealed through the research, an index of important Alaska Native legal cases from 1918 to the present, and maps illustrating the Alaska criminal and civil justice system.

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  Anchorage Wellness Court: Summary of Facts — 2004 Update

  Alan R. McKelvie

  This brief report presents summary statistics for 2001–2004 for the Anchorage Wellness Court, a therapeutic court for alcoholic misdemeanants which has operated for four years in the Anchorage District Court. Participants enter the 18-month program under a plea agreement that gives them a reduced sentence if they complete the program, which includes specific treatment measures, regular appearances before the Wellness Court judge, monitoring for continued sobriety over an 18-month period, employment and/or school attendance, and other requirements aimed at helping the offender to overcome alcohol addiction and avoid reoffending. As of December 31, 2004, 38 participants had completed the program. Recidivism data indicate a recidivism rate of 18 percent for the 38 program graduates, compared with a average recidivism rate nationally of 67 percent for alcohol-related misdemeanors.

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  Police Alcohol-Related Services Study (PASS), Phase II: A Description of the Beliefs, Perceptions and Attitudes of Anchorage Police Department Employees

  Brad A. Myrstol and Robert H. Langworthy

  The principal aim of the Police Alcohol-related Services Study (PASS) was to expand knowledge about the fiscal, organizational, and cultural impact of citizen alcohol use on the Anchorage Police Department (APD). Phase II of the study employed a voluntary, self-administered questionnaire provided to all members of the APD regardless of rank, sworn status, or operational division. The questionnaire was designed to explore respondents' perceptions of their alcohol-related workload; perceptions of community problems; perceived links between alcohol use and selected social problems; attitudes, perceptions, and beliefs about the policing of alcohol-related incidents and the people involved with them; and personal and vicarious experience with alcohol-related incidents. The report describes survey response through comparison of APD employee responses across divisions within the department: operations vs. administration, patrol vs. non-patrol, and sworn vs. non-sworn.

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  2004 Census and Survey of Homeless Youths in Homer, Alaska

  André B. Rosay

  In the spring and summer of 2004, we conducted a homeless youth survey and assessed the services available to these youths in order to identify gaps in services. As we interviewed youths, it became clear that we interviewed youths at vastly different stages of homelessness. At the first stage were youths who had less experience being homeless or had just begun their homeless experience. We categorized these youths as runaways. At the second stage were youths who experienced longer, more extensive, or more intense periods of homelessness. We categorized these youths as chronic homeless youths. Runaway youths became homeless primarily because of problems at home, suggesting a need for greater family counseling in Homer. Runaway youths were also heavily involved in drug and alcohol use, suggesting a need for greater drug and alcohol programming. When runaway youths were directly asked about needed services, most expressed needs for additional recreational activities, particularly in terms of places were youth would be welcome. As homelessness progresses from the runaway stage to the chronic homelessness stage, the needs of homeless youths changed. Once at the chronic homelessness stage, the needs of homeless youths become more focused on employment assistance. Chronic homeless youths were homeless because they simply could not afford housing in Homer due to a lack of meaningful employment with decent pay and benefits. Compared to runaways, it is more difficult for chronic homeless youths to transition back into permanent housing. However, employment assistance would allow these youths to transition back into permanent housing. Results from the services survey indicate that many services are already available to homeless youths in Homer. In particular, the basic physical needs of homeless youths appear to be adequately satisfied. Few youths expressed needs for these services. Youths who did express such needs were able to receive these services and held favorable opinions about the services they had received. However, fewer agencies provided employment assistance, drug and alcohol programming, family counseling, or recreational opportunities to homeless youths. At the same time, these were significant needs expressed either directly or indirectly by the homeless youths surveyed. The recommendations that emerge from this study are therefore to enhance employment assistance (particularly for chronic homeless youths) and to enhance drug and alcohol programming, family counseling, and recreational opportunities (particularly for runaway youths). Employment assistance should be designed to lead youths into productive and meaningful careers that provide enough pay to afford housing. All services should be developed so that they are available during the summer (when youths are out of school) and to all youths, including ones who have stopped going to school. Furthermore, it is critical to keep the costs of these services as low as possible, as most of these youths (and their families) have few financial resources. Finally, more should be done to make available services known to homeless youths, particularly to runaway youths. Although many services are already provided to youths in Homer, most runaway youths were unaware of these services. With help and guidance, all youths can successfully transition back into permanent housing. At the same time, these services may prevent youths from becoming homeless.

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  Anchorage Wellness Court: Summary of Facts — 2003 Update

  Alan R. McKelvie

  This brief report presents summary statistics for 2001–2003 for the Anchorage Wellness Court, a therapeutic court for alcoholic misdemeanants which has operated for three years in the Anchorage District Court. Participants enter the 18-month program under a plea agreement that gives them a reduced sentence if they complete the program, which includes specific treatment measures, regular appearances before the Wellness Court judge, monitoring for continued sobriety over an 18-month period, employment and/or school attendance, and other requirements aimed at helping the offender to overcome alcohol addiction and avoid reoffending. As of December 31, 2003, 25 participants had completed the program. Recidivism data indicate a recidivism rate of 12 percent for the 25 program graduates, compared with a average recidivism rate nationally of 67 percent for alcohol-related misdemeanors.

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  The Project Safe Neighborhoods Household Survey (PSNHS): Part I: PSN — Alaska Program Evaluation Baseline Data

  Brad A. Myrstol

  This document reports on a March 2004 public survey of Anchorage residents about the Alaska Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) intitative and public safety concerns at the neighborhood level. A year and a half into Alaska's PSN initiative, Anchorage residents were more aware of the specific penalties under federal law for illegal possession of a firearm than the programmatic effects of local, state, and federal law enforcement officials to reduce the level of gun crime in the city. Relatively few respondents recognized either of the PSN slogans of the Hard Time for Gun Crime message disseminated by PSN. Anchorage residents do not perceive much disincentive for engaging in prohibited conduct with weapons, indicating that there is a low level of deterrence to prevent people from committing gun crimes, particularly illegal possession offenses. There appears to be little community concern about violent crimes (general and gun-related), youth misbehavior, or racial ethnic conflict at the neighborhood level; nevertheless, most respondents reported believing that gun crime was on the rise in Anchorage as a whole.

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  The Police Alcohol-Related Services Study (PASS): A Study of the Intersection of Public Alcohol Use and Routine Police Patrol

  Brad A. Myrstol and Robert H. Langworthy

  The principal aim of the Police Alcohol-related Services Study (PASS) was to expand knowledge about the fiscal, organizational, and cultural impact of citizen alcohol use on the Anchorage Police Department (APD). This report presents results from Phase I of the study, which examines the impact of citizen alcohol use as it relates directly to police patrol with a primary focus on issues of time-task allocations among Anchorage patrol officers. Data was collected through direct field observations of routine patrol operations of Anchorage police officers by professionally trained and certified interviewers.

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  Volunteer Recruitment and Sustainability Assessment: United Youth Courts of Alaska -- Final Report

  André B. Rosay

  In response to a request from United Youth Courts of Alaska, we conducted an assessment of volunteer recruitment and sustainability during the Seventh Annual Statewide Youth Court Conference held in November 2003 in Anchorage, AK. We conducted three simultaneous focus groups with a total of 22 youth court volunteers to assess the advantages and disadvantages of volunteering for youth courts and the benefits and costs of continuing to volunteer for youth courts. In particular, we asked youth court volunteers about ways to improve recruitment and sustainability. All youth court volunteers clearly enjoyed their volunteer experience and planned to continue volunteering. In order to recruit and maintain skilled volunteers, focus group participants recommended to: (1) Provide potential volunteers a more accurate description of youth courts, (2) Revise the training course, (3) More proactively curtail the volunteers’ use of drugs and alcohol, (4) Enhance parental involvement in fundraising and non-court activities, (5) Publicize how to get involved in youth courts, and (6) Reward volunteers with tangible incentives. Although none of these recommendations will surprise youth court directors, we hope that this independent evaluation will confirm their beliefs and provide justifications for progress and change. Most youth court volunteers expressed an interest helping their youth court to achieve these goals.

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  Drug and Alcohol-Related Workload of Anchorage Patrol Officers: Results From Two Patrol Officer Surveys

  Brad A. Myrstol, Matthew Giblin, and N. E. Schafer

  It is widely agreed among criminal justice professionals that alcohol and illegal drugs play a role in patterns of crime, but not much is known about how these substances influence the operation of criminal justice agencies, particularly in the area of policing. This report summarizes the findings of a study of the extent to which drug and alcohol-related incidents formed the workload of Anchorage Police Department patrol officers. The study consisted of two surveys, the first of which asked APD patrol officers to provide their best estimate of the amount of time they spent dealing with alcohol and drug-related activities, the second of which required patrol officers to complete incident logs describing drug and alcohol-related incidents encountered on patrol. The study found that officers tended to overestimate the amount of time they spent on drug or alcohol-related activities, but that the drug and alcohol-related activities nonetheless comprise a significant portion of APD patrol officers' workload.

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  Building Evaluation Capacity for Gender-Specific Programming

  N. E. Schafer and André B. Rosay

  This report provides a basis for future evaluations of gender-specific caseloads in Alaska and provides materials which to help in formulating future programs and evaluations. Three tasks were involved in setting a base for future evaluations of the program: reviewing recent literature on female delinquency and gender-specific programming; developing a local resource manual of services for girls and young women in the Anchorage area; and establishing baseline data on female delinquency in Alaska, with particular focus on female delinquency in Anchorage.